


The End is the Beginning is the End

by TheBearMuse



Series: Tahni Lavellan [6]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-06
Updated: 2015-10-06
Packaged: 2018-04-25 02:10:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4942693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBearMuse/pseuds/TheBearMuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happened to Tahni Lavellan and Solas when she finally found him was worse than anyone ever knew.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The End is the Beginning is the End

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [Trillymon](http://trillymon.tumblr.com/)'s gorgeous art. Thank you, Trilly, for finding a silver lining on this moment, even though it made us both cry buckets.

He called her vhenan as though he had never left. As though he had never pulled away or told her to harden her heart. As though nothing had changed. But everything had.

“My love.”

Solas’s words parted the sea of pain pouring from the mark on her hand. For the first time in years, Tahni finally let herself break. She melted into him, kissing him back with everything she’d repressed since Crestwood. The agony of the anchor and the rest of the world faded away to nothing.

She felt him start to pull away. Tahni leaned forward, moving with him. She didn’t know when she would see Solas next or under what circumstances. She was going to make this moment last and worry about the rest later. Tahni felt her weight shift oddly and she would have pitched forward into Solas if he hadn’t held her steady. That gave him the advantage again, allowing him to free himself from her, but Tahni felt him hesitate before breaking the kiss. His hand slipped out of hers.

“I will never forget you.”

_NO._  The thought shot through her entire body. It was so  _final_. But it couldn’t be. She wouldn’t allow it. That was when Tahni noticed that Solas had left his jawbone necklace in her hand.

“NO!” The word burst out of her as she reached out to stop him. “Solas, you can’t -” Her words caught in her throat as her left forearm disintegrated into nothing. Her tattoo. “SOLAS!” The scream came from the depths of her soul, but even that was not enough to stop him from stepping through the Eluvian, head bowed.

* * *

Solas sealed the Eluvian behind him before allowing himself to sink to his knees. He had known facing Tahni would be hard, but to actually do it… Her scream still rang in his ears and his eyes burned with unshed tears.

_At least she understands._  That was little consolation, but it was done. He had hoped to save more of her arm so that she might keep her tattoo and remember him as he had been. It was good that his agents had sent word that the mark was consuming her faster than he had anticipated. He had been ready for her. Mostly. He would not leave her with nothing.

His fingers fumbled with his left vambrace as he unfastened it from his arm. He had cast the spell in haste - he had to be sure that it worked. Solas cast the piece aside as it came loose. His tears finally fell.  _Yes._  The black wolf he had once painted on Tahni’s arm had materialized next to the bear she had drawn on him.

He had been an optimistic fool. He should have put the tattoo on her other arm instead, just to be safe. Nothing had gone as it was supposed to. And now here he was making another mistake, keeping them together in this capacity when he knew that could never happen again. His own words haunted him.  _In another world…_  But then Tahni’s voice responded as she had before:  _Why not this one?_  Solas traced a finger along the bear’s ear.  _Perhaps in this one small way, you weren’t wrong, vhenan._

**Author's Note:**

> Art by [Trillymon](http://trillymon.tumblr.com/) ([full size](http://thebearmuse.tumblr.com/image/130590709213))


End file.
